To Drive the Cold Winter Away, New Formatting
by Norrsken
Summary: Winter adventure in Illyria. Alexander and Hephaestion come upon hardships and also some tender rewards.


TEMPLATE:

Title: FIC: Title: To Drive the Cold Winter Away.

Author: NorthernLight

Email address: Love/Friendship/Adventure story

Pairing: Alexander&Hephaestion Date: December 2004

Feedback: Yes, all kinds, preferably "nice".

Archive: In the ATG Slash&Fanfic yahoo Groups.

Disclaimer: I don't own them. For entertainment only...hopefully.

Summary: Alexander spent some hard and bitter time in exile in Illyria. There were some memorable moments, though. Here Hephaestion tells us about a very special winter day experience.

Warnings: Actual sex, though well hidden. Slash. Hunting scene, animals getting killed. Cold&nasty weather. Angst and hunger.

To Drive the Cold Winter Away.

From the very beginning I knew it would not always be a good time being Alexander's very special friend. My prudent parents warned me all the time of the intrigues and dangers of the Royal Court of Macedon - but Love and Friendship for Alexander overcame all my private fears. For him I endured the bitter envy of the many others who wanted the friendship and much, much more that i got from my beautiful Golden One. All I endured for my dearest friend. The hard training for the coming War against Persia, the manifold education we got from Aristotle and our other stern teachers and even the blood drenched battlefield of Chaironea.

Then came that day of horror. King Philip's wedding party and Attalus humiliating my friend far beyond endurance. That night of anguish, packing the most essential of our belongings, the swift ride away from Pella all in a wet, foggy darkness.

Now I was alone with my friend, as I always wished before. Things never turn out the way we like them to, though. We were alone in an Illyrian winter wood, only our mounts with us. It was cold and dreary and we were getting more and more hungry. Hunting had been bad for some days and all we had to eat were some roots so hard and tough not even cooking them for hours helped getting them palatable enough to gnaw upon. We lived in a cave in the lonesome hills with only ourselves, our steadfast horses and our weapons for comfort. All the wine jugs we brought with us were now empty and things were looking very meager indeed. We warmed each other as best as we could, wrapped into the warm fur cloak Alexander got from his dear Mother.

This very special morning we awoke with our hair rimmed with frost and ice taps. We shuddered and were happy to be alive and not frozen stiff. Alexander said desperately to me:

"Today we must have some luck with our hunting!"

He grasped his double curved large bow and ran out of the cave, his fur cloak fluttering about him like some great eagle's wings. Eagerly I leaped after him.

"Not so fast, my dear! You'll scare away all the game!"

I caught him in my arms and wrapped him carefully in the fur cloak. We then sneaked into the wood, trying not to make any squeaking noises in the crust of the hard packed snow. The sun was up and glittering on the snow and ice, a very beautiful sight had it not been so bitterly cold and we so desperately hungry. The sky was a light clear blue and the snow on the bushes and trees made enthralling patterns in the migrating sunshine. Carefully we sneaked far into the wood, sometimes embracing each other for warmth. Then I saw the most enticing sight of many days. A flock of big deer were walking innocently through the bushes. They were as hungry as I and my friend and so occupied in looking after mosses and sprigs to fill their starving stomachs that they didn't notice the pair of us behind some big junipers. Carefully we armed ourselves with the curved bows and took some arrows. Together we took aim and our arrows flew away at the same time. Two deer fell gasping out their last, their blood running in steaming puddles on the crusty cold snow. All the others run away, very scared indeed. Happily I cried out:

"Well done, Alexander! Now we won't starve for the next days to come. "

I leaped to take care of the game - but then I saw him, My Dear Golden One, standing with his curved bow held high, the sun gleaming in his curly golden hair,his perfect body in it's lean stature, now all to thin from long starvation. Next I saw a most inviting snow drift, like the softest bed spread under a big, tent like fir tree. I couldn't resist him, just dropped my bow to the ground and leaped for My Golden One, taking him with me into the soft snow drift. He cried out to me:

"Oh no, Hephaestion! I'm starving! We have to go to the cave preparing the deer for cooking our dinner. This'll have to wait to later..."

"No, my dear. I'm far too starved for ...this..."

I held him into my arms...fumbled at the clasps of his fur cloak, then at the ones of my own. He resisted me violently at first...

"No..not here..Not out here in all this cold and nasty snow! I'm freezing! "

"Yes! Yes indeed. You'll see I'm able to come up with something to warm you..."

"Yes, That I can certainly feel. Oh, my stubborn friend. You'll always have your way with me..."

He struggled a bit against me, then he got limp and compliant in my arms. I embraced him and pulled him to me violently. It had been a very long time since we came together in this manner, being too tired from starvation and hardships. I longed for him so very hard and ardently and our embrace was so endearing to us both that I could feel the snow drift melting and almost steaming around us... Afterward we lay panting in the snow, totally spent and exhausted. I said prudently:

"We must get up and away, or else we'll catch our death of cold! And, we have some cooking to do..."

I heard Alexander gasping out of fear and then looking at something over my left shoulder.

"Careful, my dear friend, careful..."

I turned my head and saw the biggest boar I ever came upon. His tusks were curved and yellow, his small eyes squinted balefully at us and I thought he was sostarved he would be having both of us for dinner...I fumbled desperately after my spear, knowing I would be too late.

Suddenly and unexpected a Golden Lightning leaped by me, thrusting me aside far into the thorny fir branches. A spear struck home and I saw my friend struggle with the boar, violently, until he fell down, the angry beast being too big to handle on his own. By then I had grasped my own spear and sprung to my feet to thrust it into the neck of the boar writhing angrily in the snow. It was a long hard fight, its agonies awesome to behold - but it was him or us...At last the big boar lay dead in a puddle of steaming hot blood, sullying the white beautiful snow. We stood close together with our spears, hands trembling after the violent fight. Alexander looked at me in a very reproaching manner:

"That was a close call, my dear friend. See now what happens when you think too much upon having me in all kinds of inappropriate times and places! You are the one supposed to handle order and safety here around!"

He was so beautiful in his anger, the sun glowing around his golden hair, his intent stare upon me as cold as the glittering icicles on the tree branches. I blushed and bowed my head low, picking up the boar from the snow. In silence we helped collecting our prey. I stayed guarding our valuable game until Alexander returned with our horses. We tied the both deer and the boar upon them. Bucephalus looked offended over being forced to carry the deer and Alexander had to talk commanding to him:

"My friend, you really have to help. We are too weak to carry those all the way to our cave - and they are not even heavy, almost as thin as we! "

He snorted, but after being fed with a tender fir shot I found he agreed to helping us. Our horses were almost as hungry as we, being forced to eat what meager provisions of dry, frozen grass and herbs they could find and licking on snow and ice to get something to drink. We returned to our grotto in silence. I felt most remorseful, putting my own lustful feelings before our own health and safety, risking my Dear One's life so wantonly. On the way I looked carefully for what tasteful herbs I could find and gathered a handful here and there. At the grotto we unloaded the horses and took good care of them. The grotto was big enough for Bucephalus and Castor to share their well needed warmth with us. I relighted the fire and put some snow in the kettle for melting. Then I got to prepare the boar for roasting. Alexander took the deer aside, taking the hides of,preparing and hiding the meat inside to be frozen until we needed it. He worked in sullen silence, letting me do all the cooking when he was ready. I roasted the best and juiciest parts of the boar over the fire while the herbs boiled themselves soft in the kettle.

Alexander sat wrapped into his wolf skin cloak, close enough in the warmth of the fire, watching me sullenly. I thought nervously about the long cold winter night ahead. He had enough of his own Inner Fire to keep himself warm enough, but I desperately needed his warmth and loving friendship. Now the most wonderful smell of roasted boar filled our cave. I sprinkled it with salt and some of the precious spices Queen Olympias had given me. It looked ready and I presented the succulent fillets on a steaming bed of winter herbs, together with a herbal infusion of mint and raspberry leaves. It was kind of sharp and bitter, us having run out of the well needed honey to sweeten it up. My friend was as starved as I myself and we devoured it all, rushed in the beginning of the meal, then gnawing and sucking the bones until nothing was left. I felt the rich food warming me up and filling my stomach, giving me new strength and energy. Then my dear friend looked dissatisfied at me. Shuddering I spoke the first words since he gave me the well earned reproof out in the wood.

"Alexander. Didn't you like my cooking? I did my very best..."

"Yes, it was nothing wrong with the food. What we needed best just now. It's the good strong wine I miss. I need something to warm me up even more than food!"

Now he looked at me with love and friendship returning in the gaze of his beautiful gray eyes.

"Come to me, my dear friend. I can no longer be angry with you for wanting me too much."

Gladly I answered:

"Yes. That's my great fault..Yours is drinking up all the wine we had left! It would have been nice together with my excellent cooking... "

All was well despite our bitter exile. We warmed each other on a bed of soft fur cloaks. The fire sparkled merrily in our grotto. Snow fell in great white flakes in the cold winter night outside - but in the cave that was our present home we shared the Eternal Love and Friendship we always would feel for each other.

THE END


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